Titans sign Gage…..Fowler sticks…….

TITANS AGREE TO TERMS WITH WR JUSTIN GAGE

Restricted free agent LB Ryan Fowler will officially join club

NASHVILLE, TENN. – The Tennessee Titans have agreed to terms with unrestricted free agent WR Justin Gage from the Chicago Bears on a multi-year contract. The fourth-year receiver has played in 49 career games with 16 starts with the Bears. Gage career totals include 64 receptions for 908 yards (14.2 avg.) and four touchdowns.

“Justin is a big, physical and athletic receiver, who has a good deal of playing experience with the Bears,” said Titans General Manager Mike Reinfeldt. “He gives us a different body-type and he will compete for a role within our receiving corps.”

For the NFC North Champions in 2006, Gage played in eight games and posted four receptions for 68 yards (17.0 avg.). In 2005, Gage posted his best season statistically with a career-high 31 receptions (second on team) for 346 yards (second on team) and two touchdowns (tied for career-high).

A native of Jefferson City, Mo., Gage attended Missouri, where he was a three-time All-Big 12 conference selection at wide receiver after converting from a quarterback prior to his sophomore season. Gage also was a member of the Tigers basketball team his first three years at Missouri.

Gage was originally selected by the Chicago Bears in the fifth round (143rd overall) of the 2003 NFL Draft.

Justin Gage’s Career Statistics:

Year Team G GS Rec Yds Avg Lg TD

2003 CHI 10 3 17 338 19.9 57 2

2004 CHI 16 2 12 156 13.0 32 0

2005 CHI 15 11 31 346 11.2 25 2

2006 CHI 8 0 4 68 17.0 34 0

Totals 49 16 64 908 14.2 57 4

IN OTHER TITANS NEWS, the Dallas Cowboys have informed the NFL they will not match the Titans’ offer to restricted free agent linebacker Ryan Fowler. Fowler, who played in 33 games with the Cowboys in his first three seasons and led the team with 24 special teams tackles in 2006, signed a multi-year contract with the team earlier this week. With the Cowboys’ decision not to match the offer, Fowler officially becomes a member of the Titans.

Vols take Long Beach State to the Woodshed.

AP Sports Writer
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Coach Bruce Pearl figured his Tennessee
Volunteers would have to score a lot of points to beat Long Beach
State.
Boy, did they.
With Chris Lofton leading the way with 25 points, the Volunteers
set off some offensive fireworks to beat the 49ers 121-86 Friday in
an NCAA first-round shootout.
The point total matched the most in a first-round game, set by
UNLV in 1977 against San Francisco.
Both teams came in averaging 80 points - putting them among the
top 11 in the nation - so it wasn’t a shocker that baskets came in
bunches.
It was the most points ever scored in the tournament by
Tennessee and its most in 18 seasons in any game. The Volunteers
topped 100 on a dunk by Duke Crews with more than 6½ minutes left.
It was also the most lopsided NCAA win for the Volunteers
(23-10).
JaJuan Smith added 24 points, Ramar Smith 22, Crews 12 and Wayne
Chism 10 points. Dane Bradshaw had 11 assists.
The Volunteers improved to 29-3 in Pearl’s two years when
scoring 80 or more points - a threshold they reached with 13
minutes remaining. They’ll face Virginia in the second round of the
South Regional on Sunday.
Kejuan Johnson scored 24 points, Aaron Nixon 23 and Kevin
Houston 17 for the 12th-seeded 49ers (24-8), regular-season and
tournament champs of the Big West who were making their first NCAA
appearance in a dozen years.
Tennessee’s ever-present fight song, “Rocky Top” provided the
background music for the show.
Lofton, the Southeastern Conference player of the year, led the
way as the Volunteers shot 59 percent from the field and made 14 of
27 3-pointers. He hit half of his eight shots behind the arc and
JaJuan Smith hit 4-of-6.
Each team hit seven 3-pointers in a wild opening half that
featured the Volunteers racing to a 29-12 lead in the opening 7½
minutes. They did it with precision shooting, their full-court
press and trapping pressure.
Lofton keyed the defense, with two steals leading to a pair of
layups in a 5-second span.
The 49ers got as close as 41-35 thanks to their own long-range
marksmanship, with Nixon hitting four shots behind the arc and
Johnson three - each of which were arching rainbows that barely
rustled the net.
The 3-point shooting contest also was hardly a surprise. Both
teams set school records this year, with Tennessee hitting 286
3-pointers and the 49ers making 261.
Ahead 57-45 at the break, the Volunteers ran off 12 of the first
14 points in the second half - seven by Lofton - to build the lead
to 69-47.
From then on, when they weren’t flexing their muscles inside,
they were hitting wide-open 3s off kickout passes from their big
men.
The Volunteers had 90 points with 10 minutes left.
It wasn’t as if the 49ers didn’t have a big offensive game. They
hit 49 percent from the field and made 12 of 21 3-pointers. But
Tennessee had only six turnovers and picked up 22 points off
turnovers.
The game might have been the swan song for coach Larry Reynolds,
63-83 in five years at Long Beach State. School administrators
allowed him to finish out his contract, saying they would discuss
the future of the program after the season ended.
The 49ers had won 11 of their last 12 coming into the game.

Boys State Basketball Scores…

East Tennessee

Maryville vs 73
Bradley Central 68
AAA State MT Murphy Center

Mitchell vs 71
Howard 62
AA State MT Murphy Center

Middle Tennessee

Ridgeway vs 71
Clarksville 74
AAA State MT Murphy Center

Austin-East vs 57
Giles Co. 37
AA State MT Murphy Center

Powell vs 59
Oakland 73
AAA State MT Murphy Center

Craigmont vs 71
Whites Creek 82
AAA State MT Murphy Center

……..How bout them Dores?

There are beatings, like the ones I got when I was a kid for stealing cookies or lying, hey I was young, and then there are beatings like the one Vandy put on George Washington Thursday in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

77 to 48. It was over in the first 5 minutes when Vandy couldn’t miss a shot and their defense was incredible.

Next up for the Dores, a very good Washington State team that should give Vandy a real tough game. Will they advance? If they play half as good as they did today, absolutely.

I Love This Day!!! But I’m confused………

The next two days are arguably the best for basketball fans. The start of the NCAA Tournament should be a holiday. So many fans have either called in sick or are getting nothing done at work. Most are trying to fool their boss. How funny that most bosses are trying to fool their employees by acting like they don’t fake their work today. Any way, Joe Dubin and I sitting here working…..Really….Watching Belmont try to upset G-Town. I still can’t believe I get paid to do this. This is actually the first time I haven’t been on the road for the Tournament since 1996. Frankly I’m glad I don’t have to deal with CBS and the NCAA. They are a royal pain at each site with more rules and regulations than you could imagine.

Along those R & R lines please help me understand this:

Stanford the 11 seed in Lexington playing 6 seed Louisville.
Vandy is 2 1/2 hours from Stanford’s campus playing in Sacramento as a 6 seed. Oh, and they are playing George Washington from DC??????????????? Are you kidding me?????

Send the Dores and GW to Lexington as the 6 vs. 11 game and keep the Cardinal in California. Not only did Stanford have to play Louisville in Rick Pitino’s old barn. They had to play at 9:30am Pacific time. These guys weren’t even awake and it showed. Louisville took them straight to the woodshed and threw away the key early in the 1st half. The Cardinals won 78-58. Stanford is done after traveling 3 time zones and playing before breakfast. Doesn’t that make sense??

I wonder if Stanford’s charter waved to GW’s and Vandy’s Charter as they were passing each other on cross country flights.

Come on NCAA. Use a little sense when seeding and placing these teams. You’ve gone to Pods to keep teams close to home but you keep sending them 3 time zones away.

Like they care…………..How many people do you think are watching the NCAA Tournament today? That’s all that matters to them.

Oh, the other burn. They NCAA asks that you call the players “student-athletes”. Maybe they figure the 4-5 hour flights make for good study time……

Titans Get Harper….

The Titans agreed to a deal with Colts Cornerback Nick Harper. This guy was the Colts top cover guy the last 5 years. His cover skills may be on the way down, but this guy is one of the best corner run stoppers in the league. He will give the Titans depth and will likely start at one corner. It is hard to imagine Pacman Jones being on the Titans roster when the season starts. This was a must get for the Titans. Here’s the official release from the Titans.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MARCH 14, 2007

TITANS AGREE TO TERMS WITH CORNERBACK NICK HARPER

NASHVILLE, TENN. — The Tennessee Titans have agreed to terms on a contract with cornerback Nick Harper, an unrestricted free agent from the Super Bowl Champion Indianapolis Colts.

The six-year veteran has played in 89 career games with 60 starts, while registering 383 tackles, 15 interceptions, 57 passes defensed and three fumble recoveries. In 11 post-season games, Harper has totaled 45 tackles, one interception, seven passes defensed, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

“We said at the beginning of free-agency that we were committed to addressing the cornerback position and we started that process today,” said Titans General Manager Mike Reinfeldt. “Nick is a proven and productive starter in this league and his addition to the roster will give us flexibility in the secondary with his role will be defined through the offseason and training camp.”

In 2006, Harper started 15 games while being a key defender for the NFL’s second ranked pass defense. Harper totaled 73 tackles, tied for the team-high with three interceptions and tied for the team-high with 11 passes defensed. In four playoff games including a Super Bowl XLI victory, Harper started all four contests and registered 14 tackles, one interception, two passes defensed and one forced fumble.

Harper (5-10, 182), was originally signed by the Colts as a free agent on January 16, 2001 after spending the 2000 season with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League.

A native of Baldwin, Ga., Harper attended Fort Valley State. In his senior season he was an All-SIAC selection and helped the Wildcats reach the Division II playoffs.

Harper’s Career Statistics:

Year G/S Solo Asst. Total Sack Int PD FF FR

2001 13/2 15 8 23 0.0 2 10 0 1

2002 16/1 34 17 51 0.0 0 8 0 0

2003 16/13 72 22 94 0.0 4 11 0 0

2004 14/14 55 20 75 0.0 3 5 0 1

2005 15/15 55 12 67 0.0 3 12 0 1

2006 15/15 59 14 73 0.0 3 11 0 0

Career 89/60 290 93 383 0.0 15 57 0 3

Boys State Tournament Scores

Westside 52
Chatt. Arts & Sciences 62
A State MT Murphy Center

Humboldt vs 68
Wartburg 59
A State MT Murphy Center

Cloudland vs 33
Culleoka 55
A State MT Murphy Center

Temple vs 47
East Literature 34
A State MT Murphy Center

Dyer Co. vs 59
White House 57
AA State MT Murphy Center

Fulton vs 47
Liberty Tech. Magnet 72
AA State MT Murphy Center

Preds fall to Detroit……Erat goes down….

It’s time for the Preds to pull up the boot straps. The Red Wings came to town Tuesday and took the Preds out back to a little woodshed and then left with a 5-2 win. Chris Osgood nearly perfect in goal with 29 saves. Nobody could have stopped the two that got by him.

The Red Wings win pulls them within 1 point of the Preds. The two teams play Wednesday night in Detroit.

Along with the loss, Martin Erat collided with Jason Arnott late in the 3rd and had to be helped off the ice. Right now there is no update on his condition.

The Preds did play without Peter Forsberg, Steve Sullivan, and Scott Hartnell.

Bottom line. Wednesday is a must win for the Preds. I feel if they fall behind Detroit they are destined for a 4 seed in the West. Can you win a cup as a 4 seed? Sure. Are your chances better if you’re the 1 seed? You betcha!

Vandy Football Schedule

Forget about starting the season at Michigan. Vanderbilt has given up the road money for a home win. Good move. Building confidence early is great way to start the season.

2007 Vanderbilt Football Schedule
Date Opponent Location
Sept.1 Richmond Vanderbilt Stadium
Sept. 8 ALABAMA Vanderbilt Stadium
Sept. 15 OLE MISS Vanderbilt Stadium
Sept. 22 Open
Sept. 29 Eastern Michigan Vanderbilt Stadium
Oct. 6 AUBURN Auburn, Ala.
Oct. 13 GEORGIA Vanderbilt Stadium
Oct. 20 SOUTH CAROLINA Columbia, S.C.
Oct. 27 Miami (Ohio) Vanderbilt Stadium
Nov. 3 FLORIDA Gainesville, Fla.
Nov. 10 KENTUCKY Vanderbilt Stadium
Nov. 17 TENNESSEE Knoxville, Tenn.
Nov. 24 Wake Forest Vanderbilt Stadium

……..Get Ready for ‘em……

Ok sports fans get ready. Get ready to hear every old sports cliche you could possibly imagine over the next several weeks because it is March Madness, tournament time, and every single one of those cliche’s deserved and should be used.

Cinderella to the ball, Cinderella to the dance, Getting to the big dance, look at that desire, no one believed in them but them, it is David versus Goliath, etc. Even if you are the least casual sports fans, Sunday, selection Sunday is a special time.

Congrats to the Belmont Bruins on making their second trip to the big dance. (There is one already.) They had a packed house, I mean packed house to see where the Bruins are going and who they are playing. Now some at other big time schools, i.e. Kentucky, North Carolina, etc, don’t have those viewing parties but at a school like Belmont is a big thing, and a good thing. So what if they have to go to Winston-Salem to play a very good Georgetown team that will probably beat them, but you never know, David beat Goliath one time. (Two cliche’s.)

Vandy is heading out west to play George Washington in Sacramento and there is a very good chance the Commodores could advance all the way to the sweet sixteen. The Vols are headed to Columbus to play Long Beach State and their chances look very good to advance to the sweet 16.

So you have 3 days to fill out your brackets and fill out more brackets and fill out more brackets, to you are bracketed in the head and you can probably remember what seed is where and who is playing where while you can’t remember your kid’s birthday.

Let the fun begin and don’t forget to sign up on wkrn.com for our bracket challenge. You might beat the sports department. Wait! Let me rephrase that, you probably will be the sports department.

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